


Enjoying the View

by Cygfa



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 04:15:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21068678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cygfa/pseuds/Cygfa
Summary: When Hugh and Paul's shuttle breaks down on their way to a winter vacation to Paul's parents, they have to find a way to stay warm until help arrives.





	Enjoying the View

**Author's Note:**

> (Unbeta'd, I apologize for any mistakes.)
> 
> For Culmets Celebration Week 2019  
Prompt: cuddling against the cold

“Dammit!” Paull slammed his right hand against the side of the shuttle. Gloveless, it was almost numb from the cold, but only almost. He stared at the mess of an engine in front of him, but there was definitely nothing he could do. Not with his limited engineering experience or limited tool kit. He shook his head, slammed the lid down and made his way over to the side of the defunct craft. In the 30 or so minutes he had spent looking at the engine, trying to see if there was something he could do to get the shuttle running again, it had stopped snowing and the sun had partially broken through the cloud cover. But that also meant that the temperature had dropped even more.  
He pushed the access panel and squeezed inside as soon as the door opened, trying to avoid as much of the cold air from rushing in as possible.  
“Nothing,” he said, as the door slid close and Hugh slid back with a sigh.  
“I’ve activated the distress beacon, but they say Emergency Services won’t get here for at least another two hours or so,” Hugh said from one of the seats in the front. “Seems like we’re not the only ones with shuttle trouble.”  
Paul swore under his breath and then, as a shudder ran through him, let himself plop onto the larger seat across from the shuttle’s door. He flexed his hands and then clasped them in front of his face, blowing warm air into them. Hugh’s eyebrows narrowed worriedly watching him and then he pulled himself up and made his way into the back, too.  
“I’m sorry. We should just have stayed with your family, I–”  
“Nonsense,” Hugh interrupted him sitting down next to him and taking his hands. “You haven’t seen your family in too long.” They had been on their way to an out of the way cabin without a transporter pad that Paul’s parents owned in the Rocky Mountains when their rented shuttle had failed unexpectedly. Some of the emergency measures had kicked in almost, and while it wasn’t freezing inside the shuttle, it also wasn’t necessarily warm.  
Hugh reached for Paul’s hands and had to suppressed a yelp. “Paul, these are ice-cold! Come here!” He rubbed them in between his own and Paul made a low noise as some feeling returned, sharp and throbbing.  
“We’ll just need to hunker down until help arrives. And until then, I’ll try to make sure you’re not going into hypothermia. You’re shaking,” Hugh said. He let go of Paul’s hands and got up, rummaging around in one of the compartments at the back of the shuttle. “According to the manual there should be….ah, yes….” He pulled out a blanket and tossed it onto the couch.  
Paul was still frowning when Hugh sat back down again, clearly not quite ready to let go of his annoyance.  
“I fear you’ll have to cuddle with me if we want to keep warm, Dr. Stamets,” Hugh said, an almost teasing tone in his voice.  
Paul huffed and for a moment it looked like he was going to refuse. “I should be able to fix that engine,” he said, but he also moved towards Hugh, eventually allowing himself to rest against his chest.  
“I hate to break it to you, love, but even your brilliance has limits,” Hugh said, pulling Paul closer before spreading the blanket over them. Paul huffed, but burrowed closer into Hugh’s chest.  
They sat in silence for a while, Paul trying to still his shivering and thankful for the heat radiating off Hugh. In his mind, he was going over the state of the engine again, trying to think of anything he might have overlooked earlier.  
“Oh, wow, look.” The sound of Hugh’s voice drew Paul back into the present.  
Outside, the sun had fully emerged through the cloud cover, turning the mountain flanks to their left, the road they were following through a slightly sloping valley into a world of silver glitter.  
“This is beautiful,” Hugh said, pulling Paul closer.  
It _was_ beautiful, Paul had to admit, despite his annoyance that they had landed in this mess. The sight outside and one of Hugh’s hands finding their way into his hair, made him sigh deeply and relax slightly. He hated the feeling of not being able to solve a problem, especially a problem that affected not only him but also Hugh. Still, it was hard to stay truly grumpy about it with Hugh pulling him so close and softly brushing his fingers through his hair

They stayed like this, huddled together for warmth and watching the changing light until an emergency transport arrived to pick them up and fly them to their destination. The shuttle would be collected by a larger vessel and returned to the spaceport, so they only had to take their things with them.  
When they stepped out of the larger aircraft in front of the cabin, Paul’s parents and his sibling were already waiting in the door way.  
“You better get inside,” Mary Stamets said, waving them into the house. Her hair was darker than Paul’s, but he clearly got his eyes from her. “You must be frozen solid. There’s a bathroom upstairs. Go and warm up in the tub, and then we’ll get some food into you.”  
They were bustled upstairs and all but shoved into a steamy bathroom with a large tub already filled with almost-hot water.  
Paul sighed deeply when he slid below the surface, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment.  
“Are you coming,” he asked, twisting his neck slightly, to catch a glimpse of Hugh, who had stopped undressing and was looking at him.  
“Give me a minute. I’m enjoying the view.”

**Author's Note:**

> Unauthorized copying of this work (or a translation of this work) to any and all other sites is not permitted.


End file.
